IQAir Report: Only 14% of Cities Meet WHO Air Standard
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- IQAir's 2025 World Air Quality Report, data from 9,446 cities in 143 countries, shows only 14% of cities meet WHO's PM2.5 target.
- Wildfires in California, Canada and South Korea, intensified by climate change, contributed to deteriorating air quality in regions previously seeing improvements.
- Dust storms from China to Texas, especially El Paso, caused a 46% increase in PM2.5 levels in 2025, the worst dust conditions in decades.
- Pakistan ranked as the world’s most polluted country in a population‑weighted ranking, and 17 of the 20 most polluted cities in 2025 were in Central and South Asia.
- Africa accounts for just 1% of global air‑quality monitoring stations despite holding nearly 20% of the world’s population.
- United States has rolled back air‑pollution standards under President Donald Trump, and the EPA is seeking to rescind the stronger PM2.5 standard set by the Biden administration in 2024.
- Canada and the United States together saw only 23% of cities meet WHO PM2.5 standards in 2025, a decline from 29% in 2024.
Why it matters: The findings highlight that billions of people continue to inhale hazardous PM2.5, especially in regions like Pakistan and El Paso where pollution spikes are severe, while limited monitoring in Africa and Latin America hampers public health responses and policy planning for governments.
